The king grumbled in his bed. Despite the time, both he and his castle were awake. The moon bled its light in the sky, stars flooding the darkness. It was...tranquil. Yet the silence screamed in his ears. He needed sound. The pouring of wine, the roar of a fire. Even the tapping pitter-patter of rain could help.

He adorned his royal robes and hid a tome in his hand. With no bodyguards to accompany him, he'd be relying on some spells the Archwizard prescribed him. He exited his chambers to find two guards armoured to the tip. He declined their presence and ordered them to guard the room carefully.

He slithered through the castle halls, in search of wine. Three goblets to be exact. Four would get him hysterical, and five would give him a headache the next morning. Three helped him sleep, and so three would be what this twilight King would receive.

The kitchens weren't usually busy at night. The royal cooks would only make meals for him and his daughters. The King felt a wave of anger come over him, with each muscle pulsating with anger. But then the anger turned to worry. He put a hand over his heart as his eyes dampened. "My Melty...Please be safe..."

He wanted to go out. Grab a sword, adorn his armour and find his daughter. He'd kill that devil of the shield and his putrid companions with is bare hands. And the freak he sent to kill. If any one of them put a hand on his Melty...

By candlelight, Melromarc descended a spiral of stairs, his shadow casting over cobblestone like a demon from the waves. The royal kitchens were just to the left. As he entered, the candlelight dimly revealed a figure at the opposite end of the kitchen. One that led to the lower floors. The figure looked dirty, feral. Dressed like a ragdoll. "W-Who's there!" cried Aultcray, holding the tome tightly in his hands.

"I-I'm sorry sire! I-I was only pr-prepare-"

The King walked his way up, the dim light now casting in the figure's eyes. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing here boy?"

"I-I come here t-to prepare the kitchens f-for when the cooks get up. I promise I wasn't trying to steal anything, I promise!"

The King glared into the boy's eyes. Full of fear once more, but not with lies.

"Calm down boy, hysterics won't get you anywhere." Aultcray noticed that, in this new attire, the boy looked rather...thin. Not in any fashionable sense like in Faubley, but rather bony. A starving wolf would forgo him even if he was bound to the ground. "Say boy, do you know where the wine is?"

"Y-Yes sire. Why? Do you want some?"

"Never ask 'why' boy, just do. But to curb your curiosity...yes, I do want a bottle."

"W-Well, j-just follow me Your Majesty and I'll get you that wine straight away!"

The King followed the young Demi-boy towards the wine cellar. To Aultcray, this place was a maze. A field of barrels that could drown the kingdom in a sea of red if not for hard craftsmanship. The boy walked past them, ignorant of their existence.

"W-What kind of wine d-do you so wish, Your Majesty?"

"Expensive. Something only royalty could have."

The boy nodded and darted left. Left, right, right, left. Down this passage. Squeeze past these barrels. It was like playing a game with Melty when she was many years younger. The King placed a hand on his chest. He wanted to rip it out, begone with the pain.

"Sire, are you alright?"

The King popped back into reality. The boy looked at him with worried eyes. "I'm fine boy. There is no need to question the health of a King. You would be wise to remember that."

"Y-Yes! Thank you Sire"

The pair stood in front of a glass cabinet. Inside, a selection of the finest wines across the world. Even from the Demi-human kingdoms. "Here you are Sire. P-Please, pick whichever one suits your tastes."

The King grabbed a rather hefty bottle. "Come boy, let us go now." The King walked with glee at his accomplished mission. The young lad scampered behind him, in fear, in worry, in curiosity.

The King walked back into the kitchen. It was dark and cold, but not for Aultcray. His fur robes and blazing hot candle warmed him to the touch. "I must say boy, you-"

He looked over at the child. He was shivering. Aultcray saw his bones rattle. The boy had his wolf tail wrapped around his body as a desperate act to stay warm.

Ah-I...I meant she was always really nice to me. Talking to me and, and smiling at me...

Aultcray shook his head and sighed deeply. He pushed the candle towards the boy, and then slipped into the pantry, procuring a collection of smoked sausages strung together. He wrapped the sausages around the boy's neck like a meaty necklace.

"My daughter, Melty, liked to wear these things when we would have dinner sometimes. She was such a silly girl..." the nostalgic past reminded Aultcray of a simpler time. A time where he'd eat with his family. A time where peace was the norm. Now though....his mind snapped back. Back to the present. Back to the sickly child in front of him. "You need to eat better boy. Look at you! You're about to become bonemeal. And wear better clothes, not these measly rags. Warm yourself up and eat those sausages. That is an order."

"Y-Yes Sire! T-Thank you!" the boy bowed and began to scamper off towards the servant's rooms.

"Oh, and boy," the child froze up, scared that he had been rude, and that this was it for him.

"Your duties are with me tomorrow, not with the other servants. Get some rest and be here before midday. You are not to work tomorrow. King's orders."

Aultcray stood and stared at the boy, making sure he heard him. The King ascended the stairs once more, his shadow smaller than what it was before. The young boy choked back tears and rushed up the stairs, away from the servants' quarters. He zipped past guest rooms, dodged guard patrols and slipped past Malty's room. That girl was cruel. Really cruel. She liked to break prisoners physically, and servants mentally. He could not believe that Melty was her sister.

Up he went. Up, up and up. He reached it. The old library. He slipped past a small crack and ducked through a makeshift door. The room was lit by the moonlight. And in the room was a bed. A bed that harboured a young Demi-human lady.

"Sis, are you awake?"

"Oh, Theo, you're back. What do you-" her eyes widened at the boy's bounty.

"I-I got these sausages so you can eat and this candle so you can keep warm.

"T-Theo...h-how did you get this? Please tell me you didn't steal it!"

"I didn't steal it! I was given it."

"Given? B-By who?"

"My...supervisor. He rewarded me for working really hard recently and to keep it up!"

The young lady smiled at her excited brother and ruffled his hair. "You're such a good kid Theo. Mom and Dad would be proud of you."

Theo smiled a teary smile and hugged his sister tightly. "Shh shh it's ok Theo...it's ok..."

Theo sniffed and wiped his eyes. He missed his mom and dad, but he needed to focus. "Here Sis, I got you these!"

"But...what about you? You have to eat too young man!"

"Oh don't worry about me, I've already had plenty!"

The girl looked sceptically at her smiling brother. "Well...alright then. And I presume this candle is also for me?"

The boy nodded vigorously. His wide-eyed smile filling his sister with a silly sort of familial love. She brought the bouncing cherub into a hug. "(Mom...Dad...if only you could see the kind of man Theo is now...)"

A bottle was thrown at the fireplace. An empty bottle, with its contents recently leaking into the broken mind of King Aultcray Melromarc. He cried, screamed, lashed out. Vases were smashed, chairs were thrown. Goblets were smashed up. Splinters of wood showered the air and rained down onto the rugs.

"GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER! GIVE ME BACK MY BABY GIRL!"

Rage-filled fists swung around the room, causing glass to shatter and pepper the walls. Fruit and sweets flew through the air, and cutlery was tossed about.

"YOU BASTARDS! GIVE HER BACK! GIVE ME BACK MY MELTY!"

The King thrashed about, tossing a rag into the fire. His hot anger turned to cold fear as he saw what was burning up inside the hot-red orange flames.

"No...NO!" The King scrambled towards the fire, his skin roasting away from the heat. He salvaged what remained of the raggy toy. The doll Melty made for him for his birthday all those years ago. Now, half of the toy was charred and melted away. The smile looked warped and the eyes bled with tears. Those features were shared with the King. Who laughed maniacally before cracking and crying into the doll.

GIVE ME BACK MY MELTY! GIVE HER BACK! GIVE-her...back...